Can I get certified on a liveaboard?

Some boats offer Open Water and Advanced courses on board, but availability is limited. Advanced, Nitrox and specialty courses are far more common than entry-level certification.

A handful of liveaboards run full Open Water certification on board, usually on easy itineraries in the Red Sea, Thailand and the Caribbean. It is possible, but it is rarely the best way to learn. Open Water needs confined-water skill sessions, classroom time and a slower pace than a liveaboard schedule allows, and you will miss dives while your group is out.

The far more common — and much better — approach is to complete Open Water at home or during a couple of days at a dive centre before you board, then use the liveaboard for continuing education. Advanced Open Water fits beautifully into a week: deep, navigation, night and drift adventure dives are all part of the normal schedule anyway.

Courses commonly offered on board include Advanced Open Water, Enriched Air Nitrox, Deep, Wreck, Night, Fish Identification, Peak Performance Buoyancy and Rescue. Prices typically run $150 to $450 depending on the course, and materials are often e-learning you complete before the trip.

If certification on board matters to you, tell us before booking. We check with the operator whether an instructor is scheduled on that specific departure — not every crew rotation includes one.